My Upcoming Occidental Reunion.
Can you believe it has been over six years since I have graduated from college? I still remember my Occidental graduation ceremony, back in 2017, in the Remsen Bird Hillside Theater, like it was yesterday. I can hear the cheering audience; I can feel myself shaking the proud hand of President Veitch; and I can taste the crispy honey shrimp that my family bought for me at P.F. Chang’s as part of a post-commencement victory extravaganza.
The circumstances surrounding my Occidental education were unique. I transferred there from U.C. Berkeley back in 2012, and was unceremoniously forced to drop out after one semester, due to mental health issues. However, with both time and effort, I was eventually able to re-enroll in 2015. Three semesters later, in December of 2016, I graduated. I was incredibly proud of myself. This was obviously no small feat for me.
As I write this, I gaze upon my framed diploma, which is currently hanging regally on my bedroom wall. There is no physical document that I treasure more. For me, Occidental was not merely a place or an institution, but instead a home. I loved being a Politics major there; I loved my unique and rewarding membership in the Zeta gender neutral fraternity; and I loved the physical beauty of the campus, which feels not like a college, but a like laid-back resort, where anything, both academic or social, is possible.
Occidental has given me memories that I will always treasure and never forget. This is why, each and every summer, I tend to look forward to getting the invitation to attend the special and nostalgic Alumni Reunion Weekend. Last year, at the event, I was able to personally shake the hand of Oxy’s new president, Harry Elam. This time around, I hope to talk politics with my old faculty advisor and dear friend, Professor Caroline Heldman.
The choice that I exercised in transferring from Berkeley to Occidental was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. My undergraduate education has given me everything, and not a day goes by when I do not feel grateful to my parents for financially supporting me in college during that formative time. I am also incredibly indebted to the admissions committee at Oxy, for generously giving me a place in the transfer class of 2012.
Every once in a while, I get a call from a student fundraiser at my alma mater, and whenever I see the words OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE pop up on the screen of my iPhone, I cannot help but experience a twinge of elation and excitement. My education is a part of who I am, and I am incredibly proud to continually be involved in something—a community— that is bigger than any one person, class, or activity. My Oxy merchandise and clothing only serve to underscore the fact that, to me, a college education is not something that endures for four years. It instead lasts for life.
Me at Oxy shortly before graduation in December of 2016.